The New Zealand Breakers kick-started their campaign for a fourth successive NBL title with a 92-73 whitewash of the Wollongong Hawks at Auckland's Vector Arena on Thursday.
The new-look Breakers attacked the season in style, racking up a comprehensive win for new coach Dean Vickerman, who stepped up from assistant to replace Australia's national coach Andrej Lemanis.
Breakers swingman Tom Abercrombie and veteran guard Darryl Corletto shared scoring honours for the Breakers with 19 apiece while league MVP Cedric Jackson's replacement, fellow American Kerron Johnson, stepped up with 14 alongside Corey Webster and Mika Vukona.
The Hawks lacked firepower and options, with hardworking guard Rotnei Clarke a stand-out in close as he racked up a game-high 20 points, leaving Larry Davidson (12), Tim Coenraad (11) and David Gruber (10) to fill in the gaps.
The defending champions took a little time to find momentum, but finished the opening quarter strongly to peg back the Hawks' lead to 28-26 at the first break.
The Breakers stepped up in the second spell, playing with pace and variation, and showing impressive accuracy from beyond the arc to lead 51-44 at halftime.
An 11-0 run early in the third quarter provided further breathing room for the home team, who controlled the rest of the spell to lead 74-59 at the three-quarter mark.
Vickerman was able to make good use of his bench, and the Breakers cruised through the final 10 minutes to wrap up their 16th consecutive home victory.
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